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EVENT

REVERTED.
"Every moment is a fresh beginning." - T. S. Eliot

Happy July, Retrospecters. Can you believe it's been nearly a year since the city was under attack and several of you were pulled and lost in Unreality? Time sure does fly, doesn't it? But don't fret. It seems as though the city is in for a real vacation this time...rest easy.

THE BEGINNING
Recollé has been fully restored thanks to the effort of the citizens working to paint the city back to life and breaking down the layers separating the city from most of its non-Retrospec users. The sky is painted multiple colors (a permanent fixture, it seems) and some buildings and plants are extraordinary but everything appears to be in solid, functional condition. All buildings are where they should be. The roads are safe. And everyone around you appears to be preparing for one of two celebrations...

THE 4TH OF JULY
With the 4th of July tomorrow, citizens of Recollé are preparing for their own celebration. Much like last year, the city will be preparing with a large gathering at Peach Beach, food trucks aplenty, discounts at several stores in Tisse and Enprise, and of course at 9pm sharp the beautiful and historical fireworks display will begin. Street vendors sell glowsticks and lemonade as everyone gathers to watch the show in the sky.

This year, however, while the fireworks display still shows events of the city's history citizens may recognize a few new scenes added to the show. As they look up into the sky they'll notice scenes depicting several of the events that have happened over the last year ranging from the Retrospec bingo games to the nightmare fog to the mistletoe bats and more. This year will also include scenery and displays from the four regions around the city. Perhaps you recognize these events a little too well. Care to share the tale with your neighbor?

TANABATA
It seems as though this week is a non-stop celebration though. As the 4th of July ends, several members of the city are hard at work in preparation for Tanabata. Celebrated on Saturday, July 7th this year, residents are hard at work decorating areas in Tribunal Terrace and Chata with massive colorful streamers and moving in several bamboo plants. Stalls are set up and prepared and carnival games line the sidewalks for citizens to play.

On the evening of the 7th, all are invited to attend the celebration and try Japanese cuisine, play a few games, and most importantly write a wish on a colored sheet of paper to hang on one of the bamboo trees.

No matter how citizens choose to celebrate at this festival, for anyone who makes a wish and hangs it on the tree they will soon receive a Retrospec ticket in their mailbox. While your wish may take time to be granted, good fortune is upon you and a free gift has been provided.

THE NPCS
NPCs are back in the city and all is well. They are unaware of the layers they were caught between but they are grateful and happy to see you again! Professors will be lenient of students whose finals have been delayed, employers will inquire about your vacation time, and your friends and family may constantly badger you for time and attention. Isn't that nice?

In addition, citizens of the city may now place calls to members outside of the city for up to five minutes. While that pesky growling problem still appears at the tail end of all conversations, citizens will be able to reach out to anyone in the world and speak for that length of time. Let's just hope your loved ones aren't too bothered by the previous radio silence.

THE DREAMS
What was that about resting easy? Perhaps you won't be able to as well as you'd like. Though everything appears to be fine, the moment you close your eyes beginning on July 3rd, you may find yourself plagued by strange, unusual dreams. As you dream you'll find yourself experiencing everything from wild scenarios set in space or on a pirate ship to everyday, mundane interactions. Your dreams will reflect who you are, but...maybe in a different light. Perhaps your siblings aren't related to you in your dreams, or perhaps your hair is a different color. Maybe you find yourself dreaming about a whole different lifestyle than the one you currently possess. Why, you could even be one of the lucky ones and dream about those memories you've been receiving since you've joined the app.

Then again, you'll also find that you aren't dreaming alone. When you look, you may find that someone has joined you. It's easy to move in dreams and intrude on other people's dreams. You may choose to watch the scene play out or find yourself able to change scenarios within these dreams. Some of you will recognize what is and isn't real, but...what is real anymore? Aren't you curious what it all means?

The moment you awake, however, these dreams will fade away and simply be dreams.

THE QUESTS
If you're looking for a way to pass the time and bring a little adventure to your life, a new feature on the Retrospec app is the quest hotline! By submitting a request, Retrospec will generate a new task for you to accomplish either in the city or around one of the four regions. While Retrospec cannot claim that all tasks will be exciting, all tasks given are important to the functionality of the city.

Or perhaps you're interested in exploring Mementos or Tartarus...? Just what are these new places anyway? Strange.

Happy questing!

THE REGIONS
Travel is available once more for the regions outside of the city, though do watch out for the common monsters that still linger between districts. It will take three hours by boat southward to Pesgare, an hour underground eastward to Respatrum, two hours west via horseback to Bosuma and seven hours via driving north to Magatus. Depending on where you travel though you may find some surprises waiting for you.

Fishing season is at its prime in Pesgare and it's the perfect place for a seaside getaway this summer. The region remains untouched and stable, and the economy is thriving once more thanks to the repairs after their tsunami and the work of Retrospec users.

In Respatrum, the workers in the mines don't seem to mind the heat and continue crafting and creating. Anyone who ventures into these parts will be put to work, but may be rewarded with small tokens and hospitality from the natives of this region.

Bosuma, however, is a little different. The Swamp Witch is nowhere to be found though the forest is alit with bright, blooming flowers, strange multicolored animals and friendly natives from a nearby village in the woods. Monsters lurk the deeper parts of the woods, but one would actively have to go looking for them.

But should one linger in this region for too long, they may soon discover that they'll start to see things...not just things, but people. Vivid, life-like forms of people you've seen in your memories will appear before you even if you're unaware of who they are. They seem to beckon you to come closer, happy to see you and encouraging you to explore the forest further. Some of these forms may engage in combat if the relationship you remember is a hostile one. Should you follow or fight them, however, you will soon find yourself lost in the woods and it may take days to return to the city. Do keep sight of what's real, won't you?

Finally, over in Magatus, for anyone who has ventured there before they may be expecting the snowy mountains and ski lodge. However, it's summer! Snow isn't fit for the summer and as residents approach the region they'll come to find that the ice-capped mountains have been replaced with cliffs, sand dunes and a desert-esque climate. The iced-over lake is now perfect for swimming and further exploration will lead you to a path in the mountains that's the perfect height for cliff-jumping into waters below. This is the perfect region for you outdoorsy, camping types. Just be careful of the scorpions and rattlesnakes out there.

THE CITY
It's summer vacation everywhere. How are you spending your days? Maybe it isn't such a bad idea to listen to Joanne and plan your days with fun and exciting ventures. Parties and meetings and spending time with your friends...it sounds nice, doesn't it? Even if some of you may notice your friends seem...off.

The city is peaceful. Everything seems to be calm and safe, so much that you may not even notice the difference at first. It all begins in mid-July though. One moment you're sitting in a café and the next you realize you're wearing an apron and you feel as though you should be working behind the counter. One moment you're sitting in your bedroom and the next you look up and notice that the items on your wall have changed. These little hallucinations are minimal and only last a few moments, but they will begin to increase as the month goes on and leading straight into August.

But hey. It's probably nothing to worry about.

Welcome to

recolle's July log! The information above provides loose guidelines of things occurring this month, so please feel free to make your own prompts based on these. You are also free to create your own logs and inbox threads.

Regarding Tanabata! If you would like to claim a free 10-20 point item, please head to the regains page and submit as normal! Please indicate that it is a Tanabata freebie.

Characters are free to travel to one of the four regions this month (Pesgare, Respatrum, Bosuma, Magatus), but keep in mind the effects/changes as listed above.

As a reminder, you may qualify for an additional freebie this month by threading out a dream sequence with at least one person experiencing a new AU! This thread must be at least five consecutive comments from you.

Any questions you have regarding this event may be directed to the mod comment here. Be sure to review the mods' question thread on the plotting post for important information as well!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ He sputters... Goro. Most people won't fluster over this, but this is so him. The snickers, the laughs, they're all stifled under his content grin. ]

What's the point in trying to pretend? I obviously won.

[ Sparkling, he needles Goro with a couple of nuzzles on his side. ]

Don't worry, I'll spoil you when we reach the room.

[Goro jabs him with his elbow, not half as irritated as he wishes he could be, as he might've been a year ago, and tucks some hair behind his ear with a huff.]

Steal into someone else's bed, thief, I won't take someone who's so full of themselves. [hmph!!!!

he's joking. he's bad at it, but he's joking.] The room can only handle one big head, after all.

[That's a little better.]

[ Huh. Goro has a point that Ren has to mull over. Looking surprised, he pretends that this is a very important epiphany. It ends with an affirmative nod. ]

Right. You are quite an airhead.

[ It's an undeniable truth. As much as he would defend Goro and speak highly of him, he can't turn away from his shortcomings. ]

... Speaking of being a hothead, you were a model in this weird dream thing, right?

[He's getting another jab for that comment. How dare you call him airheaded.]

Yes, I was. It made quite a bit of money, though he seemed to sort of... throw it around...

[What poor management skills... this is why friends are bullshit. Never buy anything for anyone.]

What of it?

He seems like an airhead, so very you.

[ Though the Goro he knows is mostly controlled, there's still a sense of familiarity in it. He laughs a bit, but then they roll into silence again as he wonders how he should go about this. ]

... I actually found hateful messages in my email that validated those dreams.

[Oh.]

Oh.

[... Hm. Interesting.]

I'd just delete them if I were you. They aren't worthy a millisecond of your time, nor... um, Akira's.

[So, so weird, that his older brother shares the name.

That said:]

Interesting, though, that that would be the case despite it being a dream..? Or... another set of memories, if we're all connecting this right, like the other set. In Japan.

[Their PT ones. He brushes some hair behind his ear thoughtfully, then looks away.]

... What do you think of those dreams? Of the people in it, how they differ and how they don't.

It's unsettling, actually. [ The first time he admits to it in regards to his own mismatched memories. ] I found other items in my room that only exist in my dreams.

[ Letters from Makoto, birthday presents from Ann and Haru... Photos. Gifts from Silver and Elizabeth, both close friends of Goro's in this dream, then there's Shouto and Yukine. So many others gone from the app, missing figures in his current memory.

It explains why he couldn't remember certain pieces so well, either. ]

I would give you an answer if I remembered them at all right now. [ But he doesn't want to mull over it. ] But I remembered Nanashi as someone around our age, very gung-ho about his Yakuza background. Textbook bad boy. But he's suddenly sixteen here? And he's a lot more mellow. Less reckless.

... It's weird not seeing him appearing in front of my house with a hotwired car.

[It is unsettling, but he doesn't want to admit so out loud. Ren did it anyway.]

Mm. Micchan -- that is, Mizuki -- and I are still close in those dreams, but we haven't known each other for years as we do now... I have a similar situation in regards to items as you do as well, to the point that I'm not sure what to do with them. It'd feel rude to sell them.

[As much money as he could get off of Elizabeth's gifts alone.]

I don't like it, if I'm honest. I'd rather just deal with being a hitman. Having dreams of being so lovesick is annoying.

[Ah, a genuine complaint from the pleasant boy. Though he is fussier the more comfortable he gets with someone.]

[ He elbows Goro when he mentions selling them. While he knows his boyfriend is strapped for cash most of the time, that doesn't warrant mentioning that at all!!! It's rude!!!!! ]

He wasn't that lovesick.

[ But how can Ren say that when he wasn't in that Goro's shoes? At least, in his opinion, Goro didn't seem like it in the dreams he remembers. They share similar pleasant tendencies, then bad habits that can be downright mean. ]

No, he definitely was.

[Please...... Please believe him.]

Like he was floating every time he saw Akira... I wouldn't be surprised if he was the type of person to write poetry about it, or put one of their surnames with the other's first name in an act of marriage... like a high school girl after her crush. Though perhaps I'm a tad harsh, since I'm not that type of person in the least.

I thought it was cute?

[ And he knew Akira felt the same way... At least in all those dreams, he seemed so charm even if it was an awful start. Smiling, he thinks back on all the antics they had, with little mysteries to keep each other company and connected in the cat cafe.

It was endearing. Edging closer, he whispers: ]

He was learning the guitar and how to sing.

Ugh.

[... But it's not like there's heat to it, Goro's a little irritated at feeling the things he felt (just as he's annoyed at feeling Akechi's emotions) but. It must be nice, having that freedom. Being worry free. Able to care so deeply towards another, not having to think of who might be watching... Mm, even with Sena he had to be careful, lest some rival of his father's got the idea to pick at one of the sons.]

Comparatively, I mustn't seem like much... Wouldn't you rather have someone like that, Ren? [Not that he's. Bothered or anything.] Someone who could be more obviously affectionate to you.

[Could's more of a slip than he'd like, but. Oh well. Play cool and it's fine, it's fine.]

[ Sounds like someone has a hard time with escapism that doesn't include being in front of a camera. Tilting his head, this is a side of Goro he doesn't usually get to see. Topics like these are pushed under the rug rather fast or prompt a disinterested demeanor.

He's not sure how to broach this... ]

Are you worried that you're not giving enough?

[ Okay, the only way he knows is to be honest. ]

[It's. Well. He can't say it's not on his mind, it is! Sometimes. A lot more, lately, as they've been together. Goro just also neatly pushes it under a rug, but there's only so much you can stuff beneath it before it becomes visible, before it starts to leak out.

He hums, gaze focused on anything but Ren.]

... I'm simply aware that people expect more from relationships.

[There's that disinterested tone. If he puts it out like that, then he can put his anxiety beneath the rug too.]

Isn't it natural to want someone who'll give you that?

[ They have been together for almost a whole year. If Ren can't tell when Goro is somewhat anxious, what kind of boyfriend is he? Most would handle this with care and he does consider Goro's preferences and feelings towards this. He can easily create a safe space, but is that what his boyfriend needs? ]

So you're worried.

[ He isn't going to let it pass like he used to. What a mistake. ]

[So deflecting the question into a general sentiment isn't going to work. Ren's been appropriately pushy, given the length of time, but Goro's first reaction is still to give him a warning look and to purse his lips.]

I don't have anything to worry about.

[Yes, he's worried. Whether he wants to admit it or not, it's something he worries about, and it's what drives him to do a little more sometimes, whether it's affectionate, opening up, calling Ren his boyfriend or darling in a public space...]

I'm just saying that if you have a problem about it, then speak up. If you don't, then that's fine too. It doesn't particularly matter to me either way.

[Though it. Clearly does, from how he wrings his fingers subconsciously, thinking of how cutely open his dreamself is, not just to his boyfriend but to others he's thought of, too. Not that that Goro doesn't have his own share of problems... no, this opening up thing is certainly the same between them, but. He's better at some things than others.]

[ There's that prickly look again. He reels back, padding and cushioning his words just a tad so that he doesn't get claws next. While there's tension in the conversation, there's something relieving about it... Ever since the dreams started manifesting, this feeling of doubt has been growing slowly.

He never felt that he was directly connected to it, but it existed in the back of his mind, making itself cozy and at home. Rubbing his neck, he looks off to the side. ]

Sometimes a hug or a kiss is nice, but I know how you are... If it bothered me, I would tell you.

[ That's something Ren thinks he's better at than Akira. ]

I only ask for you to be honest, too. Go at your own pace, but don't bottle it up forever.

[Hm. That's annoying, for some reason, and Goro wonders what, exactly, he personally wants Ren to do. Does he want him to push more? Continue to press in that overly honest way? Not to accept the way he is, to goad him into affection?

It's hard to do it on his own. He likes it when people present the option to him, so he can choose to take it or not. But having to make the first move feels like he's showing his hand, which is. Admittedly his own fault for feeling that way, because who cares? This isn't his family, where he had to be wary, it's just Ren, who is none the wiser. Who likes him and would appreciate affection sometimes, but knows how he is and is fine with that.

So.

It's difficult, reluctant, but Goro reaches for Ren's hand, fingers curling hesitantly in the space between before brushing against the back of it, then holding it properly. No locked fingers, but this is a start. His face is burning. Don't comment on it.]

[ Though they can hold hands without other pretenses, he understands how making the first move can be hard and debilitating. For some reason, despite having held Goro’a hands before, it feels entirely different. It makes his heart quiver, elated that his boyfriend reached out for his hand and loosely holding it. It isn’t big. It isn’t life-changing. It’s still, however, appreciated.

He doesn’t thank Goro for trying... He doesn’t think he needs to. What he wants is for Goro to do what he wants to do (as long as it’s safe). With a couple of adjustments, he interlaces their fingers, but leaves his grip as is. ]

You really do love me. [ He’s so touched he won’t instantly point out Goro’s new tomato complexion. It doesn’t last for long. ] I can tell by the color of your face. It’s indicative of your dokis.

[ Yes, he said dokis as they’re finally strolling into Bosuma civilization, just in time for locals to see this innocent handholding. ]

[It's nice until Ren says something, and Goro can't decide if he hates the callout or "dokis" more. He tucks their hands between them as he steps closer, a habit he won't lose quite yet, and huffs. Is it possible for his face to get darker? Apparently.]

Of course I... I do. You... bring me some solace in life, when you're not saying things like "dokis". I'm feeling quite attacked right now.

Those are opposite things, Goro.

[ If he has to hide their hands, that means they’re physically drawing closer, right? Ren smiles mischievously before burying his nose into the side of Goro’s head, inhaling in the nice scent of shampoo and cushioned by soft strands of hair. It gets some people to stare, almost embarrassed to see this public display. ]

I love you.

[ Out in the open in front of everyone’s jungle salad. ]

[Wow, regret comes so fast and in so many forms, he's discovered a new one. Mortification is another. He's picking up pace to his place of stay, a room in the local inn, eager to get away from Ren physically while. Still holding his hand. This is, once more, contradictory.]

Conversely, I've retracted my affections and now despise you. Why are you such an embarrassment, Ren? Were you born this way, or is there something about me that incites it?

[pointless whining tbh]

I was quiet and kept to myself before Retrospec, you know.

[ He was only loud and a thorn in the sides of those close to him, but that was far too little in number after his parents’ arrest. Part of him felt numb yet another wanted to blame every single person for what happened, even when he knows well it was his parenrs’ own doing. Trailing after Goro, he mulls over how they’ve changed, little by little... How he finally owns a cat and lives in a place longer than a couple of years, has non-criminal friends, and a boyfriend on top of it.

As they reach the inn, Ren tilts his head and strokes his chin, thoughtful and bemused. ]

Character development? [ He couldn’t figure out how to make that into a doki pun. ] I hope you don’t kill me for what I’m going to do next.

[ Ominous. ]

[Ominous. But the words'd given Goro something to think on, the way Ren was before and how he'd changed, the way Goro himself... had he changed..? True, he still gave off a pleasant demeanor to those he wasn't particularly close to, but has he been able to show the fussier, meaner side of him to people easier? Are his actions more genuine, more in line with what he feels over what he believes is best?

He doesn't know, really. It's only when things are pointed out that he's able to see it clearly; for now it remains muddled among what was real and what's just pretend, unsorted. At the very least, the hand in his is real, the person beside him is real, the warmth is...]

You realize that saying that only puts me on guard, don't you? [Moron, his tone says.] You're mostly harmless though, so I shouldn't worry.

[last words before death]

[ Harmless. Ren looks at Goro with his usual neutral and blank expression, blinking slowly. The word echoes through his mind, further emphasized by his boyfriend's lack of wariness and paranoia. How perfect. The corners of his lips quirk up, turning somewhat sinister when he realizes this is his time. ]

Since I'm so harmless, you shouldn't complain when I do this.

[ With a smooth arc and swift momentum, he scoops Goro into his arms like a bride right in front of the inn's doors. Even if he struggles, it's too late. It has been done. There are gasps around and everything.

Revenge. That is what this is. ]